As we rapidly enter into fourth week, brains full of newly learned information and minds looking forward to break, I would like to take a moment to reflect upon what I believe to be the largest discovery our class has realized thus far. Although I mentioned in my last blog it seemed an unspoken understanding of relation to the material was present among the class, it was this past week when these unspoken sentiments became shared. Bringing these previously unsaid connections to the table created a sort of ‘relatablility’ to the text we simply have not yet encountered within our discussions. All of the sudden these highfalutin, distant ideas became graspable. Every single one of us could pin down exactly what the theorists meant, which was evidenced by our ability to provide countless personal anecdotes.
On Monday, we came into class having read Winnicott’s theory on the transitional object. However, it was not by lecture that we all came to solidify this theory in our minds –it was through the heartfelt descriptions of each and every one of our classmates’ own transitional objects. The transitional object is comprised of many elements, however, in short it is an object the child possesses that paves a smoother path from one stage of their development into another. More specifically, it transitions them from a deeply subjective point of view, into a more objective one. That Monday we heard the tales of blankies, and teddies, and doggies galore. We even had the privilege of meeting some of these objects in person. Countless times Marcia asked the question, “Would anyone else like to share”? And, as she looked around there was always another eager hand in the air waiting to tell of their own beloved object that had aided them through their childhood. Marcia asked this question until, I believe, every last one of us in the class had shared their personal story of their transitional object with the rest of us.
Through the sharing of these intimate experiences, so close to home, we collectively began to realize the theories we are reading about do not simply pertain to ill people seeking out intensive therapy. Rather, these theories illuminate aspects of our selves that have, for years, remained unnamed, or perhaps just unperceived. After learning these ideas, however, we can now begin to identify them within our own selves. What happened this past week began the process of piecing together who we are on a more profound level by looking at our selves through a truly psychoanalytic lens. While this may seem like a terrifying process, the class never once seemed to approach a space of fright –we never backed away from what the theorists were beginning to reveal within ourselves. As this class is coming to an abrupt end, we are finally beginning to see how we, as individuals, might be changed for the better by learning this information.
Another great blog!